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How to Learn Spanish
Choosing the Right Program and Materials for You

Many parents write to me asking if it is possible for their children to learn Spanish if they don't speak it. My answer is yes, and my recommendation continues to be the same... learn Spanish and you will help tremendously in your children's path to fluency.

You may have a different reason for learning Spanish. It does not matter. In this article I am giving you a mini road map to successfully choose the right program for you, along my top reviews in what I consider the best programs for learning Spanish online and Spanish software reviews in the market.

How do I know what works? Because years of tutoring Spanish to adults, teaching Spanish to children, raising a Spanish bilingual child, listening to my students' opinions and being a native Spanish speaker taught me what works and what doesn't.

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Learning Spanish should involve learning the culture


One size does NOT fit all, but I have been able to single out the best way to learn Spanish using a program and the top choice to consider for how to learn Spanish online.



Follow this guide and read the product reviews I am posting on this site .I dedicated a good amount of time to testing the software I recommend here. Yes, testing. I gained access to and tried both products so you can trust this review. It is coming from a native Spanish speaker and a user of the programs.

Looking for my top 2 Spanish learning software reviews? go here.

How to Learn Spanish? Road Map

But...Is there a better way to learn how to speak Spanish? Yes there is, but the answer depends on you. If you are serious about speaking Spanish sit down and answer these questions:

1-What language learning style am I? (See below)
2-What do I need Spanish for? Reasons.
3-How much time per day, week, etc., do I have to dedicate to learn another language?
4-How much money do I have to invest in this endeavor?
5-Which are my available methods, and evaluate them.
6-Choose the right one and persevere.

Step 1 - Your Language Learning Style

How to learn Spanish the best way depends a lot on your learning style, therefore analyze yourself and identify yours. One person normally has more than one learning style. Which are your language learning styles?

Visual: like to see pictures and prefer reading.
Auditory: learn better by listening. They like to talk and interact with others.
Tactile: like manipulating objects or "hands-on" work.
Kinesthetic: enjoy movement and need regular breaks when performing desk activities.
Analytic concentrate on the details of language, such as grammar. They like taking apart words and sentences.
Global: pay attention to the whole picture instead of the details like proper grammar.
Reflective: take time to formulate correctly their sentences to convey ideas. They like to think about language, therefore they make less mistakes.
Impulsive: like to dive into the language and take risks. They want fluency and accuracy is not the most important factor.

Step 2 - Reasons for Learning Spanish

Is it related to work? Is it because you need to know medical terminology or because your clients are Hispanic and you need to communicate with them.

Is it to help your children learn Spanish? Is it because you are interested in traveling to Spanish speaking countries? Maybe you are dating somebody from Hispanic culture.

The vocabulary, methodology and the resources to help you achieve your goal shape your decision on a language course choice. The vocabulary you need to teach the language to children is not the same as the vocabulary you need for communicating while traveling or taking care of customers on the phone.

Step 3 - Time to Invest in Learning Spanish

When trying to answer how to learn Spanish, consider time constraints you may have like travel time, disposable time and availability due to a job that requires you to be away at different times making it difficult to meet in a classroom.

Maybe you have slots of time during the day you can use to learn Spanish, maybe you know you learn better at night, think hard... and be realistic.

Look at your schedule on a weekly basis. I notice learning speeds up when somebody I am tutoring practices more frequently, tutors twice a week or more, and goes beyond the tutoring lessons.

Depending on your time constraints start visualizing the type of program. Think if:

  • Is it better to buy one you can do at home by yourself at your convenience? Is it online, software or a podcast.
  • Is is better to attend a school? Involves travel time but you may have more interaction with others.
  • Is is better to pay somebody to come to your house? May be more expensive but it is one on one and allows for excellent pronunciation and corrections of your speech. Start thinking about the pros and cons of each choice.

    Step 4 - How Much Money Can I Invest?

    Think of how to learn Spanish considering your monetary resources. For example, Spanish learning software is relatively inexpensive in comparison to tutoring lessons but it may suit your time needs better. Flexibility and quality goes hand on hand with price. Programs or software with excellent graphics like Rosetta Stone or Rocket Spanish cost a bit more but are totally worth it.

    Step 5 - Evaluate Available Methods

    Once you have answered the previous questions you are ready to explore the different methods available to learn Spanish. These methods are:

  • Attending university or Spanish language center schools.
  • Studying with a Spanish interactive audio learning course. One of my favorite ones.
  • Traveling to another country to immerse yourself in the language. I recommend Tell Me More and Rocket Spanish. See why here.
  • Taking a Spanish online learning course.
  • Tutoring with a native Spanish speaker in person or online.

    Then.. How To Learn Spanish?
    Experience Showed Me...

    Through tutoring I constantly hear what Spanish language learners are using. The majority found out that interactive picture-based software was helpful to learn Spanish but NOT ENOUGH.

    While interactive picture-based Spanish software is very helpful doesn't provide enough depth, I recommend only two Spanish learning software products. They are TELL ME MORE Language Learning Software which encompassess reading, writing, listening, pronunciation, and extensive vocabulary learning with top notch technology.

    My second choice is Rocket Spanish which is best for people who target conversational Spanish and simple grammar and conjugation.

    I asked myself as a native Spanish speaker and Spanish tutor which choices were best, and these two emerged clearly. I can tell you not even Rosetta Stone provides so much for the money.

    Looking for my top 2 Spanish learning software reviews? go here.

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    Hispanic Resources

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    If you are interested in being included please contact me

    Y tu... Eres Boricua, Dominicano, centroamericano o simplemente mi paisano? We are all Hispanic, from different backgrounds and countries but all Hispanos.
    Did you feel at home? Interested in contributing to Hispanic Culture Online?

    Contact me. We are always interested in conveying what Hispanics have to say through small articles while giving you exposure and credit.



    Hispanic Facts
    in the U.S.

    One in seven people in the United States is of Hispanic origin.

    Hispanics are a mix of European, African and Native American people.

    In 204 B.C. Romans created the term Hispanic to identify inhabitants from the Iberian Peninsula which encompass Spain and Portugal today.

    The term Hispanic was adopted in the U.S. in the 1970s by the federal government in its census questionnaires.

    The U.S. is the fifth largest Hispanic country in the world.


    St. Augustine and Santa Fe were Hispanic cities founded before Plymouth.


    Spanish is the fourth most frequently spoken language in the world.


    Twenty countries speak Spanish as their first language.


    70% of the Hispanic population lives in five states: California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois.


    Hispanics are the largest minority in the U.S.


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